Software industry leaders urge the general population to take up programming

deltatux

Today, the non-profit group, Code.org is encouraging students to take up computer programming. Needless to say this in a tech forum, but only 1 in 10 US schools teach computer programming to students.

Watch this short movie and encourage those around you to learn to code too. If an NBA super-star loves to code, anyone regardless of their passion should program too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=dU1xS07N-FA&hd=1

deltatux

IcE · 02-27-2013, 02:45 | posts: 6,991 | Location: Toledo, Ohio

Maybe when it becomes a bearable task to do, I'd consider it.

Saifz · 02-27-2013, 02:59 | posts: 489 | Location: Toronto Canada

I did it for 2 years and then i stopped, i disliked and ahd no idea what the hell i was doing

Veeshush · 02-27-2013, 04:24 | posts: 253

Like many things taught in school some of it is barely ever used in the real world unless your job requires it. (and ffs no, I'm not saying school is bad and you shouldn't know how to read or do basic math etc)

Saying that, they should at least offer it for sure but not force it. Probably having kids make a game or something that would peak their interest or some outcome that they'd actually like which would take the boring sting out of it. That'd make a lot more sense than having to suddenly learn it when you enter college.

FULMTL · *Last edited by FULMTL; 02-27-2013 at 07:24.*

Would places hire you even if you don't have a degree for it?

I learned the basics in high school, but now have forgotten it. I do have fun messing with a game editor, but that's about it.
When I think of the term "general population"...I don't have a positive image.

Speed Weed · *Last edited by Speed Weed; 02-27-2013 at 07:41.*

Many children go into a school computer lab with Sheldon Cooper-esque expectations of being able to do the programming equivalent of 'splitting the atom' straight away, and come out bitterly disappointed when all that they were shown was a BASIC three-liner on how to put 'HELLO' on a monitor screen!
Perhaps schools would drum up a bit more interest in the topic if they were a lot more adventurous.

Not every child goes to school knowing that his/her dad has a high-end rig at home to practice on.
That pic of yours really sums up the situation, FULMTL!

The Goose · *Last edited by The Goose; 02-27-2013 at 08:04.*

Well, i clean at a school and all they seem to learn is how to stuff there faces with sweets,chocolate and fizzy drinks then throw the rubbish under there desks,so learning the basic...

1 rem HELLO
2 print"HELLO"
3 get"";end
4 goto2

ENTER

HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO

is all you can probably expect but why bother...i learnt that at home on my ZX81 back in the early 80`s,teach them something useful like how to sign on at the job centre cuz
the way things are going thats what they will be doing

Pill Monster · 02-27-2013, 08:03 | posts: 20,464 | Location: NZ

I couldn't think of a more more mind numbingly boring job than programming...

ibitato · **Memory**: 4x2GB@1080 5.5.5.15 5:6

Good programmers are hard to find.
WBP (wanna be programmer) are the 90 % of the market offer.

BTW, good programmers are really well paid.

BLEH! · **Memory**: 24GB @ 1600 @ 9-10-9-27

Always wanted to give it a go, but how hard is it?

CronoGraal · 02-27-2013, 11:33 | posts: 3,432 | Location: Sweden

Quote:

Originally Posted by IcE

Maybe when it becomes a bearable task to do, I'd consider it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saifz

I did it for 2 years and then i stopped, i disliked and ahd no idea what the hell i was doing

Pretty much these two posts. I studied Software Engineering (fancy way of saying programming w/ some clue on how to work as a group) and didn't enjoy it at all, dropped out before I dug myself in a hole.

dsbig · 02-27-2013, 12:10 | posts: 1,688 | Location: in a house

I was planning on programming or game developing.

but then companies only hire u for a project then let you go.

I was also considering computer engineering, but the cost too much for me. and I could not get good funding

ibitato · **Memory**: 4x2GB@1080 5.5.5.15 5:6

Quote:

Originally Posted by BLEH!

Always wanted to give it a go, but how hard is it?

it depends.

For me, it's 80% thinking, 20% coding.

Normally, it's the other way around, thus, problems and frustration arise

you need education to get started, but after that, its up to you to
get better and better.

once you know the basics, you can pretty much jump from one language to another, concentrating on knowing the libraries, the functionality they provide
and strenghts/weakness for each one.

Engineering software its a complete different story.

dsbig · *Last edited by dsbig; 02-27-2013 at 12:18.*

I been really great with programming but my math skills havent been great. and these school look at the math skills.

Had trouble with entrance exams. and I chickened out when I saw the math test.

AbjectBlitz · 02-27-2013, 12:16 | posts: 3,271 | Location: United Kingdom

Did it as college and hated it, maybe if they did games programming I would have given a damn.

ibitato · **Memory**: 4x2GB@1080 5.5.5.15 5:6

Quote:

Originally Posted by AbjectBlitz

Did it as college and hated it, maybe if they did games programming I would have given a damn.

programming games is not that fun, believe me.

dsbig · 02-27-2013, 12:21 | posts: 1,688 | Location: in a house

its fun to program computers to insult the user....

yeah I got suspended for that.......

ibitato · **Memory**: 4x2GB@1080 5.5.5.15 5:6

I've been implementing DRM for my company's product ,
and the one getting insults its me LOL

Norvekh · 02-27-2013, 13:39 | posts: 2,654 | Location: Ohio

A better idea would be to have mandatory typing courses in school. While most won't use programming, nigh near everyone ends up typing in their careers. I was fortunate enough to have typing classes in my junior high and that is the one skill that has stuck with me from that long ago and it set me up with a brilliant base for touch-typing. I think word processors should be used so as to offer no distractions yet give more capability than simple typewriters. It's just so maddeningly annoying to go some place where the person taking your information is doing the two-key-punch at 5 words per minute because they never learned how to touch-type.

Veeshush · 02-27-2013, 13:54 | posts: 253

Quote:

Originally Posted by Norvekh

A better idea would be to have mandatory typing courses in school.

Even though it wasn't mandatory, I remember my first computer teacher back was I was around like 6 or 7 making us all take typing lessens on older computers from the 80s (and this was in the 90s and we eventually got newer Windows pcs years later). She'd even cover the keyboards with a black sheet of paper which would hide ours hands and force us to almost muscle memorize the keys.

But

Now I type one handed fairly fast (I think from wasd in gaming) and have to look at the keys so, go figure. Whatever works in the end I guess, and this works for me.

IcE · 02-27-2013, 14:59 | posts: 6,991 | Location: Toledo, Ohio

Quote:

Originally Posted by Norvekh

A better idea would be to have mandatory typing courses in school. While most won't use programming, nigh near everyone ends up typing in their careers. I was fortunate enough to have typing classes in my junior high and that is the one skill that has stuck with me from that long ago and it set me up with a brilliant base for touch-typing. I think word processors should be used so as to offer no distractions yet give more capability than simple typewriters. It's just so maddeningly annoying to go some place where the person taking your information is doing the two-key-punch at 5 words per minute because they never learned how to touch-type.

I had mandatory typing classes in school, and I barely learned anything at the time because I didn't care. I wasn't the only one, either. I eventually became a really good typist just by practice since I got into computers as a hobby. I went from like 30wpm to over 100, lol.

sykozis · 02-27-2013, 17:27 | posts: 13,491 | Location: US East Coast

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsbig

its fun to program computers to insult the user....

yeah I got suspended for that.......

I almost got expelled for bypassing the security software on the school computers....after the school's computer "tech" wiped out our web/data server...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Norvekh

A better idea would be to have mandatory typing courses in school. While most won't use programming, nigh near everyone ends up typing in their careers. I was fortunate enough to have typing classes in my junior high and that is the one skill that has stuck with me from that long ago and it set me up with a brilliant base for touch-typing. I think word processors should be used so as to offer no distractions yet give more capability than simple typewriters. It's just so maddeningly annoying to go some place where the person taking your information is doing the two-key-punch at 5 words per minute because they never learned how to touch-type.

My high school had mandatory typing classes, depending on which program you were in....

The problem with the programming classes though, was the restrictions placed on the classes by the school board.

scheherazade · 02-27-2013, 18:06 | posts: 1,908 | Location: NOVA

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsbig

I was planning on programming or game developing.

but then companies only hire u for a project then let you go.

I was also considering computer engineering, but the cost too much for me. and I could not get good funding

FYI.
I think you'll find that large defense contractors do the same.
In case anyone wants to work on jets/ships/etc, somewhat fun hands-on stuff.
I guess the bright side is that they try their hardest to make projects drag out...
Gotta love that 2 month turn-around on 5 minutes of work. (eyeroll). Bureaucracy and oversight go hand-in-hand. 2 peas in a pod.

-scheherazade

Elder III · 02-27-2013, 19:12 | posts: 1,948 | Location: Ohio

I'd be happy if kids came out of HS with decent typing skills and basic knowledge of how to use Microsoft Office. Sadly, many college graduates are incompetent with the most basic software that they will have to use for almost any entry level job. Those minor (yet integral) items need to be fixed before the general public should even think about programming.

*also programming is literally mind numbing for most people, so I don't see this idea ever becoming popular with more than a few % of the population.

Tat3 · **Memory**: 3*2Gb 8-8-8-20 @ 1680MHz

You dont need to be good with computers to learn basics of coding. My sister is on some programming course on uni and doing quite fine (and he is just the average PC user who doesnt know much about anything), took it as I recommended it and some of her friend also did recommend it.

Anyways, some basic of coding would not hurt anyone, sure there are other things also which would not hurt some people to know. Girls especially do think coding is something only nerds would do, if they actually took just one course on some school, perhaps they would like it end up studying it as it's quite fun.